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| St Mary’s Parish Church Woodford 1812 St Mary’s Parish Church and Woodford History |
Thomas Fuller (b. ~1750), married Mary Farrant (bap. 9 Jul 1749 at St Michael's, Aveley), daughter of George and Mary Farrant at St Mary's Church, Woodford on 17 Apr 1775. Witnesses to the marriage were Thomas Renn and John Row. The transcriptions for this marriage, at both Ancestry and FindMyPast list her as Mary Tarrant. The original parish record, a copy of which was shared to Ancestry by my cousin, Tony Crompton, is feint and quite difficult to read, however, the style of the writer's script makes it impossible to distinguish between their capital Ts and their capital Fs. Their T for Thomas and F for Fuller appear to be identical shapes. The only record for a Mary Tarrant in the right period and area is this marriage, which doesn't mean there wasn't such person, but the baptism of Mary Farrant does seem reasonable and acceptable, although I can see no way to categorically prove it.
(An alternative baptism of a Mary Tarrant on 29 Sep 1752, allegedly at St Gregory by St Paul, London (unlikely, as that church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666), the child having been born 3 days previously on 26 Sep 1752. Questionable in so many ways, I feel safe discounting it.)
One of the witnesses was listed as a Thomas Renn, but names were often written down as heard. Son Robert Fuller later married Elizabeth Bass, whose mother was Elizabeth Wren. Is it possible that these were related?
Thomas and Mary Fuller appear to have at least the following children:
- Sarah Fuller bap. 28 May 1775 at St Mary's Church, Woodford
- Thomas Fuller bap. 29 Mar 1778 at St Mary's Church, Chigwell
- John Fuller bap. 19 Mar 1780 at St Mary's Church, Chigwell
- Sarah Fuller bap. 26 May 1782 at St Mary's Church, Chigwell
- Robert Fuller bap. 10 Sep 1785 at St Mary's Church, Chigwell
- Mary Fuller bap. 30 Dec 1787 at St Mary's Church, Chigwell
All list the parents as Thomas and Mary. Presumably the first daughter died in infancy for another to be given the name Sarah in 1782. Neither can I find a death for Thomas born 1778, nor find records of him reaching adulthood.
There are three possible further children who could be of this family:
- Thomas Fuller bap. 3 May 1795 at St Mary's Church, Woodford. Died 8 Sep 1795 and buried on 12 Sep 1795 at St Mary's Church, Chigwell
- James Fuller bap. 28 Aug 1796 at St Mary's Church, Woodford
- Thomas Fuller bap. 10 Jun 1798 at St Mary's Church, Woodford
On these three, I can neither categorically confirm nor discount them. The swaps back and forth between churches in Woodford and Chigwell are not an issue and indeed persuade me it's likely these probably are the children of this couple; there is no other marriage of a Thomas Fuller and a Mary in the area, whose children they could be otherwise. The eight year gap isn't impossible, but does slightly suggest they are of a different family. Although further children being named Thomas would support the death in infancy of Thomas born 1778. But, if we have the right baptism for Mary Farrant, this would make her 49 at the time of the last birth. Again, not impossible, but it is pushing the limits a bit. Alternatively, the then 16 year old daughter, Sarah, could have had a child in 1798 and it was often a custom to name illegitimate children after one's own father, but here I may be casting aspersions.
Thomas Fuller, aged 86, calculating to a year of birth of 1750, residence Work House (Woodford parish workhouse was set up in 1723 and became part of the West Ham Poor Law Union in 1836), was buried in the parish of Chigwell on 27 Nov 1836. A burial of someone from the Workhouse, often at the parish expense, would tend to suggest that this was his parish of birth.
Another two sisters marry two brothers: For further research later, but it's interesting to note that Sarah Fuller married John Chumley on 25 Dec 1802, at Woodford. Her sister Mary Fuller married John's brother, Joseph Chumley, also at St Mary's, Woodford, on 23 Feb 1805.